The Family that Chooses You

Chapter 72: A new Grimmauld home

The door flew open, the doorbell's tone barely fading before it did.  Harry's smile was broad and full of pure unrestrained happiness.  It was finally the day, the day that he dreamt about for years and never thought would actually happen.  He had barely slept the last few days, overcome with excitement for this day.

He was finally leaving the Dursleys.

On the first day of summer break he had received an owl from Dumbledore.  Sirius had been completely exonerated of the charges.  Pettigrew had been tried and convicted, his punishment to be determined.  Sirius had managed to find a home to live in and despite being told he should spend more time recovering, he demanded Harry's removal from the Dursleys and to be brought to him, his legal Godfather and guardian.

Dumbledore had agreed, but insisted that Sirius spend a few days to prepare his home and to recover from the trial, something that Sirius agreed to.  However, the days had passed and now, Harry was about to leave for his new home.

Harry was shocked to see who accompanied Dumbledore.  McGonagall was there and for some strange reason, Fred and George.

"The Weasley twins had some last minute...detention to do," McGonagall said to Harry's obvious confusion.  "So they are here to provide the manual labor."

"Could be worse," Fred said airily, "could be lines."

"We're used to manual labor anyways," George said with a wink.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.  "Let's not prolong things.  I am sure everyone is eager for this to be over."

Dumbledore and McGonagall entered number 4 Privet Drive, calmly ignoring Vernon's ugly look and Petunia's terror-laced disdain.  Truthfully, Harry had been packed for days.  He did not own many belongings anyways and what he did own were packed securely in his trunk.  However, at the direction of the Professors, he and the twins combed the house to ensure Harry did not leave anything behind.

McGonagall spent the majority of the visit staring at the cupboard beneath the stairs.  Her jaw was clenched tight and whenever she did look at the Dursleys, they recoiled from her gaze.

Finally Harry was standing at the entryway to the house, everything he owned piled neatly beside him.  The twins stood right behind him, watching his back.  McGonagall stood in front of him, separating him from his relatives.  Dumbledore looked at Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley.  His eyes no longer twinkled.  He looked incredibly weary.  He looked incredibly disappointed.

"Is there anything you would like to say?" he asked Harry.

Harry had a lot of things he wanted to say.  He swallowed them all and looked at the three people he still felt fear from in some measure.  "Good bye," he whispered softly.  He felt better when the twins rested their hands on his shoulders.

"That's it?" Vernon snorted.  "Not even a thank you for keeping you alive?  That's gratitude for you."

The twins' hands gripped Harry's shoulders painfully.

"Gratitude?!"  McGonagall sounded incensed.  "For all the pain you inflicted on him?!"

"If you want someone to blame, blame him," Vernon sneered, pointing at Dumbledore.  "He dropped the brat here, we never wanted him.  Everything the freak said that we did is all because of him."

Harry flinched.  He wondered if he ever would not flinch when he heard that word.

Dumbledore looked directly at Vernon and the bitter angry man paled under the Headmaster's gaze.  Dumbledore turned to look at Petunia who wilted.  "I am so disappointed in you," Dumbledore said softly.  "Yes, it was my decision to bring Harry here.  I had hoped the young girl that wrote me a beautiful letter would have loved her nephew like she loved her sister."